Stud and eyelet assemblies or snaps are used in a variety of products ranging from clothing to medical applications. Generally, the stud and the eyelet are assembled in a web by a punch advance method. In assembly, a web is moved into position on a punch press and stopped. The punch is activated to assemble and engage the stud and the eyelet through the web. The web with the snap assembly is then advanced out of the punch press. A new section of web is moved into position on the punch press and the assembly process is repeated.
While this widely used stop-action type of assembly has been effective in its application in the past, it is relatively complicated, labor intensive, and time-consuming. More importantly, this method cannot be used for assembling and engaging the post of an eyelet in a stud in a continuously advancing web of a more efficient continuous line method. Consequently, the stop action method of assembling is unsuitable for the highly automated, high output manufacturing demanded by industries in increasingly competitive markets.